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Last Thursday Kayode Ola Foster was shot and killed across the street from the Occupy Oakland camp. In a move that has been repeated across the country nearly every time there is an assault, Occupiers immediately claimed the victim was not really part of the camp: Protesters have said they believe the man tried to escape his killer by hiding in the camp. Occupiers told the San Fran Chronicle the [...]...

Police are shutting the camp down as soon as tonight after an increase in serious crime at the camp including: On Tuesday police arrested a man for attempted rape after he entered a woman’s tent. She fought him off and hailed police who were in the park at the time. On Dec. 17, police logged an assault with a deadly weapon after a person was stabbed with a 12-inch hunting [...]...

This was posted on Facebook yesterday by an Oakland resident named Andi White. Looking at his Facebook page he looks legit, i.e. he does seem to be an Oakland resident who initially supported the movement. His history shows he “liked” OO and the effort to recall the Mayor. He’s also a fan of Matt Taibbi which tells you all you need to know about his political outlook. This is the [...]...

As expected, police raided the camp last night. First, here’s a video report from KGO-TV in San Francisco: Here’s cell phone video of police making the announcement to leave prior to the raid: Finally, Mercury News live-blogged the action: 5:15 a.m. Tent city destroyed Hundreds of police in riot gear continue to move into the camp and arrest people. Already dozens have been arrested and the camp destroyed. Most of [...]...

After being removed from the park early this morning, Occupy Oakland protesters held a march this evening in which they swarmed through downtown streets. Police blocked off some streets and the situation became tense when arrests were made: Here’s video of the same scene (or a moment later) at street level. As you can see, protesters threw paint bombs and cursed at Oakland PD: With a small group of cops [...]...

The SF Chronicle reports: Norris Terrell, 20, of Oakland was arrested last week in Louisville, Ky., and has been charged by Alameda County prosecutors with murder in the slaying of Kayode Ola Foster, 25, of Oakland. Three other suspects, Joseph Anthony Gholston, 32, Excell McKinley, 20, and Carleon Roberson, 18, all of Oakland, have been charged with assault. Authorities say the three beat Foster on Frank Ogawa Plaza on Nov. [...]...

Intentional vandalism of the lobby of Oakland City Hall. There’s raw video here of the weapons confiscated by police as well as additional shots of the damage caused. In this clip Mayor Quan discusses the need to pull officers off their regular beats to handle the occupiers, which she believes is responsible for a rise in crime in the city: Here’s how the night developed: As of now police are [...]...

Police are calling this a non-suspicious death, meaning no foul play is suspected: Police were called to Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park late Friday morning after a man, possibly one of the Occupy Salt Lake protesters, was found dead inside a tent. A police dispatcher says the a 911 call from the park came in at 10:11 a.m. that someone appeared to be dead in the tent. Police arrived and [...]...

This AP story says at least 85 were arrested. The SF Examiner says 70 and add that there is about $50,000 in damage to the park: Recreation and Park Director Phil Ginsburg estimated there was up to $50,000 worth of damage to the area, including dead grass and irrigation system problems. The department is working to reopen the area as soon as possible, but the grassy areas and bocce ball [...]...

The next thing Hughes knew he was in a headlock, then he was being punched, and then he was on the ground as a large man began to choke him.

This happened as Hughes, a substitute teacher and Occupy Oakland resident, tried to keep a larger man who also lived in the camp from threatening a woman there. Finally, after another threatening incident involving the same individual, the occupiers had had enough:

About 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, a group of roughly 50 people gathered by the man’s tent and told him he had to leave. Some were speaking calmly. Others weren’t. It was then that the man pulled out a large kitchen knife and threatened the whole group…It was only when someone picked up a piece of wood and cracked him across the head that the ordeal ended.

Self-realization dawns on at least one of the occupiers:

“At some point, we have to recognize that we can’t control everything,” said Boomer Frank, a 24-year-old tent resident and ad hoc camp organizer. “I’m anti-authoritarian, but we need to acknowledge that some things are out of our control.”

If only they could apply that lesson a little more broadly, e.g. to the police, to the economy as a whole even. Appropriately, it’s the cops who patrol the camp that get it. One officer compared the scene to “Lord of the Flies.” His supervisor was even more insightful:

One Oakland police supervisor said that the participants first appeared to him as “freethinking activists” but have since devolved into something more sinister. He said it was “interesting for a group that claims to be against current civilization and rules to set up a far more oppressive society than our own.”

Very interesting indeed.

Update: One of the wags at American Glob created this Photoshop to illustrate this story: